Universal tester hardware

ABSTRACT

A universal testing system platform with a modular and symmetrical design that provides faraday cages in a flexible, efficient and space saving architecture for testing wireless devices.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/818,803, filed Nov. 21, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/057,085, filed Feb. 29, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No.9,990,113, issued Feb. 20, 2018.

This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/866,720, filed Sep. 25, 2015 now U.S. Pat. No. 9,810,735, issued Nov.7, 2017; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/866,752, filed Sep. 25,2015 now U.S. Pat. No. 10,122,611, issued Nov. 6, 2018; U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/866,630, filed Sep. 25, 2015 now U.S. Pat. No.9,960,989, issued May 1, 2018; U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/866,780, filed Sep. 25, 2015 now U.S. Pat. No. 9,491,454, issued Nov.8, 2016; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/948,143, filed Nov. 20,2015 now U.S. Pat. No. 9,992,084, issued Jun. 5, 2018; U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/929,180, filed Oct. 30, 2015; U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/929,220, filed Oct. 30, 2015; U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/948,925, filed Nov. 23, 2015 now U.S. Pat. No.9,838,295, issued Dec. 5, 2017; and U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/987,538, filed Jan. 4, 2016 now U.S. Pat. No. 9,900,116, issued Feb.20, 2018, each of which are hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention is directed to a system for testing devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the various embodiments of the invention,reference should be made to the description of embodiments below, inconjunction with the following drawings in which like reference numeralsrefer to corresponding parts throughout the figures.

FIG. 1 is a high-level exploded view of a rack system associated with auniversal test station, according to certain embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a high-level diagram of an exploded view of a Faraday cageassociated with the universal test station, according to certainembodiments.

FIG. 3 is a high-level diagram of an enlarged view of the base plate ofa Faraday cage associated with the universal test station, according tocertain embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a high-level diagram of an enlarged view of the back plate ofa Faraday cage associated with the universal test station, according tocertain embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a high-level diagram of an enlarged view of the connectorplate of a Faraday cage associated with the universal test station,according to certain embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a high-level diagram of a perspective view of a MOCA harnessassociated with the universal test station, according to certainembodiments.

FIG. 7 is a high-level diagram of an exploded view of a MOCA harnessassociated with the universal test station, according to certainembodiments

FIG. 8 is a high-level diagram of a perspective view of a splitterassembly of the MOCA harness associated with the universal test station,according to certain embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a high-level diagram of a router bracket of the MOCA harnessassociated with the universal test station, according to certainembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Methods, systems, user interfaces, and other aspects of the inventionare described. Reference will be made to certain embodiments of theinvention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. While the invention will be described in conjunction with theembodiments, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit theinvention to these particular embodiments alone. On the contrary, theinvention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications andequivalents that are within the spirit and scope of the invention. Thespecification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Moreover, in the following description, numerous specific details areset forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention.However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art thatthe invention may be practiced without these particular details. Inother instances, methods, procedures, components, and networks that arewell known to those of ordinary skill in the art are not described indetail to avoid obscuring aspects of the present invention.

According to certain embodiments, a universal test station for testingwireless devices such as wireless routers, cable modems, set top boxes,cable modems with eMTA (Embedded Multimedia Terminal Adapter, acombination cable modem and telephone adapter) comprises a modular rackwith a symmetrical architecture and compact footprint. The symmetricaldesign provides for easy installation of the universal test stationequipment. For example, the equipment includes:

-   -   2 MOCA harnesses    -   4 Faraday cages (each cage has 4 device test slots but the        embodiments not restricted to 4 slots per Faraday cage. The        number of slots per Faraday cage may vary from implementation to        implementation)    -   4 servers (the embodiments not restricted to 4 servers per rack.        The number of servers per rack may vary from implementation to        implementation).    -   keyboard and mouse    -   computer screen    -   4 PDUs (power distribution unit with multiple outputs to        distribute electric power to the equipment in the universal        tester station

FIG. 1 is a high-level exploded view of a rack system associated with auniversal test station, according to certain embodiments. FIG. 1 shows atop perspective view of a universal test station 100 set-up thatincludes a rack 101, MOCA harnesses 102, Faraday cages 103, test servers104, keyboard and mouse shelf 105, computer screen 106 with attachment,power distribution units 107 and cover plates 108. The embodiments notrestricted to 4 Faraday cages per rack. The number of Faraday cages perrack may vary from implementation to implementation The symmetricaldesign of rack 101 accommodates 2 Faraday cages on the right side 111 ofrack 101 and another 2 Faraday cages (not shown in FIG. 1) on the leftside 112 of rack 101. Similarly, the symmetrical design of rack 101accommodates one MOCA harness that is accessible at the front side 109of rack 101 and another MOCA harness that is accessible at the rear side110 of rack 101. Further, rack 101 can accommodate 4 servers. Theembodiments not restricted to 4 servers per rack. The number of serversper rack may vary from implementation to implementation.

As can be seen from FIG. 1, the symmetrical design of the rack not onlyprovides for easy installation but also provides easy access to the testequipment supported by the rack. For example, as can be from FIG. 1,each test slot of the Faraday cages are easily accessible from the rightside 111 and left side 112 of rack 101. The test slots of the Faradaycages are easily accessible because the door assemblies face outwardaway from the rack. The computer screen 106, mouse and keyboard shelfare easily accessible from the front side 109 of rack 101.

According to certain embodiments, the compact footprint of the rack 101allows for the set up of multiple similar racks in the testing area of aroom. According to certain embodiments, each rack 101 is approximately 7feet in height and 3 feet in width and has a depth that can accommodatethe Faraday cages as described herein. Each rack 101 can be assembledusing standard 19 inch rack rails and rack shelves that areapproximately 3 feet in width and with a depth that can accommodate theFaraday cages as described herein. Further, rack 101 is not restrictedto 4 Faraday cages, 4 servers, and 4 PDUs. Since rack 101 is modular innature, rack 101 can be easily expanded to support an increased numberof MOCA harnesses and/or Faraday cages and/or servers and/or PDUs, etc.,depending on the floor space available and/or the needs or businessobjectives or technical objectives of the test facility or of theassociated enterprise. Similarly, modular rack 101 can be easily reducedto support a reduced number of MOCA harnesses and/or Faraday cagesand/or servers and/or PDUs, etc.

As a non-limiting example, each universal test station 100 is suppliedwith Internet connectivity for remote management and technical supportof the universal test station 100. As a non-limiting example, Internetaccess for the universal test station 100 comprises a static public IPaddress. As another non-limiting example, each universal test station100 has two “20A” outlets.

According to certain embodiments, as a non-limiting example, each serverin the universal test station 100 is of a 3U rackmount size (e.g.,17.1″×5.1″×25.5″) and supports the testing of 4 devices under test(DUTs) simultaneously. Each DUT when undergoing tests are installed in agiven test slot of a given Faraday cage of universal test station 100.

According to certain embodiments, as a non-limiting example, thecomputer screen, keyboard and mouse (not shown in FIG. 1) are used forinteracting with a web based GUI (e.g., GUI is an operator dashboardused for setting up the tests for one or more DUTs). The computer screenis attached to a wall mount arm, which in turn is attached to the rack.The computer screen can be rotated 90° and can be tilted downwardsaccording to the needs of the operator.

As a non-limiting example, each server is equipped with at least thefollowing components of the latest engineering design (if appropriate):

-   -   7×Quad Ethernet card: Network interface cards are used to test        the LAN/WAN functionality of the device under test (DUT). The        ports include cables that connect to the connector plate of a        given test slot of a given Faraday Cage (there are 4 test slots        in a Faraday cage, according to certain embodiments). The DUT is        connected to the server ports through the connector plate.    -   4×Dual Band Wireless adapter: The adapter cards are used to test        the WiFi functionality of the DUT. Each adapter card supports 2        bands (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) and IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac standard. The        SMA (SubMiniature version A connectors or semi-precision coaxial        RF connectors) cables run from the adaptor card ports to the        connector plates of a given Faraday Cage where WiFi antennas are        connected.

According to certain embodiments, there are total of 4 Faraday (RF)cages per universal test station 100. Each RF cage supports 4 test slotsto support a total of 16 slots. Two of the RF cages are on right side ofRack 101 and the other two RF cages are on left side of Rack 101. The RFcages help protect the DUT from WiFi interference from nearby devicesand DUTs. The WiFi signal strength and reverse/forward bandwidth ofsignals are improved to great extent through the use of RF cages,according to certain embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a high-level diagram of an exploded view of a Faraday cageassociated with the universal test station, according to certainembodiments. In FIG. 2, Faraday cage 103 comprises 4 test slots (e.g.,test slot 200). Faraday cage 103 includes a back plate 201, right endplate 202, left end plate 203, 3 septum walls (such as septum wall 204),4 connector plates (such as connector plate 205), 4 door assemblies(such as door assembly 206) with hinges 210, 3 center stiles (such ascenter stile 216), 2 rack ears (such as rack ear 207), a base plate 208,and a top plate 209, according to certain embodiments. The embodimentsare not restricted to 4 slots per Faraday cage. The number of slots perFaraday cage may vary from implementation to implementation. The sizingof rack 101 can be modified to accommodate Faraday cages that have morethan or less than 4 slots per Faraday cage according to certainembodiments.

FIG. 3 is a high-level diagram of an enlarged view of the base plate ofa Faraday cage associated with the universal test station, according tocertain embodiments. In FIG. 3, base plate 208 of a Faraday cageassociated with the universal test station comprises air holes 302 and aplurality of rivet holes 304 (for assembling a given Faraday cage) ascan be seen around the perimeter 306 of base plate 208, according tocertain embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a high-level diagram of an enlarged view of the back plate ofa Faraday cage associated with the universal test station, according tocertain embodiments. In FIG. 4, back plate 201 of a Faraday cageassociated with the universal test station comprises cut-outs 402 forassociated connector plates (e.g., see connector plate 205 of FIG. 2),and a plurality of rivet holes 404 (for assembling a given Faraday cageand for installing the connector plates), according to certainembodiments.

FIG. 5 is a high-level diagram of an enlarged view of the connectorplate of a Faraday cage associated with the universal test station,according to certain embodiments. FIG. 5 shows a front view 205A, and aback view 205B of connector plate 205. Connector plate 205 includes 7RJ45 coupler holes 501, 2 RJ12 coupler holes 502, 2 F-Jack to F-Jackadapters 503, 2 SMA connectors 504, and a power harness 505, accordingto certain embodiments. A given DUT is installed one of the slots of aFaraday cage. The installed DUT is thus connected to the LAN, MOCA, WIFIinterfaces (associated with the universal test station) and powerthrough the connector plate 205, according to certain embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a high-level diagram of a perspective view of a MOCA harnessassociated with the universal test station, according to certainembodiments. FIG. 6 shows a MOCA harness 102 that includes a harnesschassis 601, end plates (such as end plate 602), a top plate 603 (withholding holes 606) and 16 router brackets 604 (8 router brackets on eachside of the harness chassis). The router brackets are associated withwireless routers configured as MoCA LAN Bridge and MoCA WAN Bridge forthe test slots of the Faraday cages. Thus, each MoCA harness has totalof 8 MoCA LAN Bridges and 8 MoCA WAN Bridges, according to certainembodiments. The MoCA LAN Bridges and MoCA WAN Bridges are used fortesting the MoCA LAN/WAN functionality of a given DUT, according tocertain embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a high-level diagram of an exploded view of a MoCA harnessassociated with the universal test station, according to certainembodiments. FIG. 7 shows a MoCA harness 102 that includes a harnesschassis 601 (with bottom plate 703, and side walls 704), end plates 602,a top plate 603 and router brackets 604 (there are 8 router brackets oneach side of the harness chassis 601, but only one router bracket isshown in FIG. 7), and 2 splitter assemblies 702 (only 1 splitterassembly is shown in FIG. 7). The splitter assembly is designed to helpin cable management and the routing of cables from the MoCA harness tothe connector plates of the Faraday cages. Further, the splitterassembly makes for easy maintenance and convenient replacement of partssuch as attenuators and splitters, according to certain embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a high-level diagram of a perspective view of a splitterassembly of the MOCA harness associated with the universal test station,according to certain embodiments. In FIG. 8, the splitter assembly 702includes four 3-way splitters 802, and 4 wire tabs 804, according tocertain embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a high-level diagram of a router bracket of the MoCA harnessassociated with the universal test station, according to certainembodiments. FIG. 9 shows a top view 605A, a right side view 605B and afront side view 605C of the router bracket 605, according to certainembodiments. Router bracket 605 includes a bare modem card bracket 901,a printed circuit board 902, a front bezel 903, and screws 904,according to certain embodiments.

In the foregoing specification, embodiments of the invention have beendescribed with reference to numerous specific details that may vary fromimplementation to implementation. The specification and drawings are,accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictivesense.

We claim:
 1. A universal test station comprising: a rack comprising a plurality of shelves, the rack having a front, a rear, a first side, and a second side; a first Faraday cage stored on the first side of the rack, the first Faraday cage comprising a first plurality of test slots, each test slot in the first Faraday cage defining an internal chamber; a corresponding first plurality of door assemblies partially defining the first plurality of test slots, each door assembly of the first plurality of door assemblies when opened exposing an opening in a test slot of the first Faraday cage, each opening configured to provide access to an internal chamber from the first side of the modular rack; a second Faraday cage stored on the second side of the rack, the second Faraday cage comprising a plurality of test slots, each test slot in the second Faraday cage defining an internal chamber; and a corresponding second plurality of door assemblies partially defining the second plurality of test slots, each door assembly of the second plurality of door assemblies when opened exposing an opening in a test slot of the second Faraday cage, each opening configured to provide access to an internal chamber from the second side of the rack.
 2. The universal test station of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of power distribution units.
 3. The universal test station of claim 1, further comprising a computer screen affixed to the modular rack.
 4. The universal test station of claim 1, further comprising a keyboard and mouse shelf affixed to the modular rack.
 5. The universal test station of claim 1, wherein each test slot of the first and second plurality of test slots includes a connector plate, the connector plate including a plurality of RJ45 coupler holes, a plurality of RJ12 coupler holes, a plurality of F-Jack to F-Jack adapters, a plurality of SubMiniature version A (SMA) connectors, and a power harness.
 6. The universal test station of claim 1, further comprising a first Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) harness stored on the front of the modular rack, and a second MoCA harness stored on the rear of the modular rack, wherein each MoCA harness comprises: a plurality of router brackets that are associated with a corresponding plurality of wireless routers configured as MoCA local area network (LAN) Bridges and MoCA wide area network (WAN) Bridges; and a plurality of splitter assemblies wherein each splitter assembly of the plurality of splitter assemblies includes a corresponding plurality of 3-way splitters.
 7. The universal test station of claim 6, wherein each MoCA harness further comprises: a harness chassis, the harness chassis comprising a bottom plate, side walls extending upwardly from sides of the bottom plate, end plates extending upwardly from ends of the bottom plate, and a top plate contacting ends of the side walls opposite the bottom plate, the harness chassis defining a harness chamber; wherein the plurality of router brackets and the plurality of splitter assemblies are received in the harness chamber.
 8. The universal test station of claim 6, wherein each splitter assembly in the plurality of splitter assemblies further comprises a plurality of wire tabs, each wire tab in the plurality of wire tabs spaced from a corresponding 3-way splitter.
 9. A universal test station comprising: a modular rack comprising a plurality of shelves, the modular rack having a front, a rear, a first side, and a second side; a first set of Faraday cages stored on the first side of the modular rack, each Faraday cage in the first set of Faraday cages defining a first internal chamber; a corresponding first set of door assemblies partially defining the first set of Faraday cages, each door assembly of the first set of door assemblies when opened exposing an opening in each Faraday cage of the first set of Faraday cages, each opening configured to provide access to each first internal chamber from the first side of the modular rack; a second set of Faraday cages stored on the second side of the modular rack, each Faraday cage in the second set of Faraday cages defining a second internal chamber; and a corresponding second set of door assemblies partially defining the second set of Faraday cages, each door assembly of the second set of door assemblies when opened exposing an opening in each Faraday cage of the second set of Faraday cages, each opening configured to provide access to each second internal chamber from the second side of the modular rack.
 10. The universal test station of claim 9, further comprising a plurality of power distribution units.
 11. The universal test station of claim 9, further comprising a computer screen affixed to the modular rack.
 12. The universal test station of claim 9, further comprising a keyboard and mouse shelf affixed to the modular rack.
 13. The universal test station of claim 9, wherein each Faraday cage of at least a subset of the first and second sets of Faraday cages comprises: a plurality of test slots, wherein each test slot of the plurality of test slots includes a connector plate, the connector plate including a plurality of RJ45 coupler holes, a plurality of RJ12 coupler holes, a plurality of F-Jack to F-Jack adapters, a plurality of SubMiniature version A (SMA) connectors, and a power harness.
 14. The universal test station of claim 9, further comprising a first Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) harness stored on the front of the modular rack, and a second MoCA harness stored on the rear of the modular rack, wherein each MoCA harness comprises: a plurality of router brackets that are associated with a corresponding plurality of wireless routers configured as MoCA local area network (LAN) Bridges and MoCA wide area network (WAN) Bridges; and a plurality of splitter assemblies wherein each splitter assembly of the plurality of splitter assemblies includes a corresponding plurality of 3-way splitters.
 15. The universal test station of claim 14, wherein each MoCA harness further comprises: a harness chassis, the harness chassis comprising a bottom plate, side walls extending upwardly from sides of the bottom plate, end plates extending upwardly from ends of the bottom plate, and a top plate contacting ends of the side walls opposite the bottom plate, the harness chassis defining a harness chamber; wherein the plurality of router brackets and the plurality of splitter assemblies are received in the harness chamber.
 16. The universal test station of claim 146, wherein each splitter assembly in the plurality of splitter assemblies further comprises a plurality of wire tabs, each wire tab in the plurality of wire tabs spaced from a corresponding 3-way splitter. 